SUMMER 2009
IN S ID E T R A C K
Quarterly Newsletter for the Members of the Road Runners Club of America
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Sports Authority Partnership Disabled Athletes Panel at Convention Transparency in Charitable Relationships And more
RRCA BOARD OF DIRECTORS Brent Ayer President David Cotter Vice President
SPORTS AUTHORITY PARTNERS WITH RRCA The RRCA has partnered with Sports Authority to become the Official Sporting Goods Retailer for the RRCA and a presenting sponsor of the RRCA Championship events. “Runners are involved in a variety of active lifestyle activities such as camping, fishing, golf, skiing, and more,” explained Jean Knaack, RRCA Executive Director. “The RRCA will continue to encourage runners to support their local specialty running retailer when purchasing running gear. Our partnership with Sports Authority is designed to help running club members and event participants further their active lifestyle through exclusive RRCA-affiliated discounts with Sports Authority, because runners do more than run.” As a presenting sponsor of the RRCA Championship events, Sports Authority will provide gift certificates to all RRCA National ($100) and Regional Champions ($50), which include male and female, open, masters, and grand masters. Sports Authority will also provide RRCA Championship events with promotional banners and Sports Authority discount cards for all event participants. As the Official Sporting Goods Retailer for the RRCA, Sports Authority will provide all RRCA-member running clubs with member discount cards and all RRCA event members with event participant discount cards.
Dennis Novak Treasurer Dan Edwards Secretary, At-Large Director
2009 RRCA CONVENTION: DISABLED ATHLETES’ PANEL
Mark Grandonico Eastern Region Director
We all sat down for the 2009 Road Runners Club of America Annual Convention's State Representative's luncheon at the San Francisco Fisherman's Wharf Hyatt Hotel. As the doors closed, I heard a small commotion out in the exhibitor's area. I got up to see what was going on. As I opened the doors, I could hear folks calling out, "Hi Harry." Standing tall and surrounded like a rock star, Harry Cordellos, legendary blind athlete, inched forward through the crowd, patiently saying “hi” to everyone. Harry had arrived to take part in the first-ever RRCA Disabled Athletes’ Panel.
Mitchell Garner Central Region Director Lena Hollmann Southern Region Director David Epstein Western Region Director Kelly Richards At-Large Director !
Continued on page 7 by Simone Adair
When 2009 Convention Director George Rehmet asked me to moderate the panel, I was both honored and a bit anxious having never overseen such a discussion. I realized that even though I was a disabled veteran and athlete, I just didn't know that much about this inspiring and very large community.
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FROM THE RRCA PRESIDENT
Dear RRCA Members, I probably don’t have to point out that we are going through some rough economic times. From a personal perspective, until the stock market trimmed way 40% of my net worth, I had planned to retire last April. That written, I feel fortunate to have my two jobs at a time when so many face unemployment. But what dos this mean to the running community at large? A recent headline in Road Race Management newsletter observed, “Road Races Holding Up Fairly Well in Down Economy.” Indeed, not only is running an escape and stress reliever, we are also blessed in that we participate in a relatively inexpensive sport. The only piece of “equipment” required is a good pair of shoes from your local running retailer. In tough times, we can race closer to home and chose events with lower entry fees and still have many, many options both in distance and size. As further proof, the RRCA continues to expand even during these uncertain economic times. In June we hit a significant landmark for the RRCA when we welcomed our 1,000th member organization. So, welcome to the Runner’s Edge Foundation of Boca Raton, Florida. To the rest of the RRCA member organizations, thank you all for your continued support and involvement with the largest distance running organization in the United States. As announced on the RRCA News, I invite you to read our 10-year strategic plan that is posted at www.RRCA.org/rrca/business to learn more about our goals and objectives for the future. Don’t forget to apply for an RRCA Microfinance loan to purchase capital assets for your club. Details can be found on our website at www.RRCA.org/services/microfinance/. Keep running,
Brent Ayer
KIDS RUN THE NATION PURCHASE INCENTIVES AT WWW.RUNTHENATIONSTORE.COM Purchase your Kids Run the Nation youth tshirts and zipper pulls (back pack tags) from our online store. Shop today at: WWW.RUNTHENATIONSTORE.COM Purchase the Kids Run the Nation Program Guide and Kids Running Guides today at: HTTP://STORE02.PROSTORES.COM/RRCA
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RRCA – SPORTS AUTHORITY PARTNERSHIP “We are very excited to be the official sporting goods retailer of the Road Runner’s Club of America,” said David Campisi, President of Sports Authority. “Our partnerships have long-lasting potential because we share the passion for being active in sports and promoting the development of a healthy lifestyle. We look forward to providing great value to these organizations for years to come.” As the Official Sporting Goods Retailer for the RRCA, the Sports Authority, Inc. will provide all RRCA club members with membership discount cards and all RRCA event members with participant discount cards. The partnership kicks-off in June and club and event members will receive their member discount cards to provide to club members and event participants from Sports Authority. The RRCA-Sports Authority discount cards are an excellent benefit that you can provide to the runners that are members of your running club and participants in your events. Your runners will receive $10 off a $50 or more purchase at the Sports Authority, Inc. The great news is that this discount card is good for each trip to Sports Authority, Inc and lost cards can be replaced by visiting the RRCA website homepage at www.RRCA.org and clicking on the Sports Authority logo to access replacement discount cards. Simply print the card and go shopping. To help further your club members’ and event participants’ active lifestyles we are asking that you distribute this great discount card to your club members once you receive your shipment. You can: • Mail them as a special offer from your club to your members courtesy of the RRCA, • Include the cards in your newsletter mailing, • Pass them out at weekly group runs, • Put them in race bags or at registration/packet pick-up, • Hand them out at the finish line, or • Include them in your membership renewal mailings. Our goal is to provide you with a great discount offer that you can, in turn, provide to your club members and event participants. If the quantity supplied by Sports Authority does not meet your needs, please email Cindy Lee at clee@thesportsauthority.com to obtain additional discount cards for your club. Is your club hosting an upcoming event or RRCA Championship? Great! Contact the RRCA about receiving discount cards for all your championship event participants. Email Dorothy@rrca.org to order cards for your championship events. Be sure to include the quantity, race date, and shipping address in your email. ! About Sports Authority Headquartered in Englewood, CO., Sports Authority is one of the nation’s largest full-line sporting goods retailer, offering a comprehensive and high-quality assortment of brand name sporting apparel and equipment at competitive prices. Sports Authority has knowledgeable staff in all areas of sports and fitness related topics, and strives to be the ultimate “authority,” both on and off the field. Whether in the game or cheering from the sidelines, Sports Authority is the leading destination for consumers to fulfill their own sports equipment needs, as well as find their favorite team’s apparel. Sports Authority operates 463 stores in 45 states, and employs more than 17,000 people nationwide. It also operates stores in Japan under a licensing agreement with AEON Co., Ltd. The company’s e-commerce website is located at www.sportsauthority.com. ! !
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TRANSPARENCY IN CHARITABLE RELATIONSHIPS By Jean Knaack, MPA “Just 1% of Seattle Marathon Money Goes to Charity” read the November 2007 headline in the Seattle Times. With a headline like that, it was sure to raise local eyebrows and it spurred a few discussion posts on the Road Race Management race directors’ forum at the time. The article went on to outline financial details about the event including the fact that the marathon, which is organized as a nonprofit event, donated more than $12,000 to their designated charity that year, which equaled 1% of their gross receipts. The article states, “When runners register for the race, there is a separate section for making donations [to the charity partner]. The marathon has raised money for charity this way in previous years, as well.” The concern raised throughout a series of articles on the marathon was whether or not runners and charity partners realized that only a small portion of the gross profits would go towards the local charity that the race was promoting as a charity partner. My initial reaction to the Seattle Marathon article was there was no story, because there is no law or tax code that I am aware of requiring a portion of road race registration fees to be given to other local charities. This is an expectation that has developed as the industry has embraced the charity aspect of the sport. At the core, the purpose of a race is to be a race and to promote physical fitness within the race's home community. It is an added benefit that the sport has grown into an amazing fundraising and marketing network for charities. But donating a portion of race registration fees to a local charity it is not required by tax laws. A nonprofit event organization or a nonprofit club hosting an event can simply keep the proceeds of a race as net assets to help with next year's race or to invest in their own running programs, such as a beginners program or local youth running program. However, it is important for events partnered with charities to be transparent in their fundraising and marketing messages to participants, the main concern raised in the article about the Seattle Marathon. In the article about the Seattle Marathon, the board president for the marathon did point out that a portion of their net proceeds are retained to cover race operations for the coming year, a responsible practice for any race. So what is a nonprofit event? The designation of a race as a nonprofit has nothing to do with the contributions made to local charities by the race. The nonprofit designation of a race or a nonprofit club-managed event is determined by the business organization of that entity. A volunteer board of directors that does not profit personally from the event and that oversees the operations of the event is what defines the event as a nonprofit organization along with the official designation from the IRS as a 501(c)3 organization (or through the RRCA-group exemption with the IRS). There is not a one-size-fits-all approach to managing an event. If an organization is a nonprofit, they are certainly entitled to retain net profits, compensate staff, or hire contractors as needed to run their nonprofit business or event. In the case of the Seattle Marathon, they have a volunteer governing board of directors with a paid race director, similar to many other large events around the country. A race director may get paid for their services if a board of directors chooses this method of race management so long as the race director or their immediate family is not a voting member of the board of directors, thus profiting from their relationship with the board. A race may choose to depend on the generosity of volunteers to make their business model work. Nonprofit management structures differ from event to event and utilize a mix of paid staff, contractors, and volunteers. However, all nonprofit events share a commonality: they have an independent, volunteer board of directors that does not profit personally from the event. RRCA members, especially members taking advantage of the nonprofit status through the RRCA group exemption with the IRS, must work to ensure they are operating within the RRCA Guidelines for Nonprofit Board of Directors (see Spring 2009 Inside Track posted online at www.rrca.org/resources/publications), and Continued on page next page ! !
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TRANSPARENCY IN CHARITABLE RELATIONSHIPS that they are following our guidelines on adopting a conflict of interest policy, adopting the required policies under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for nonprofit organizations, and following state and federal regulations for nonprofit organizations. Nonprofit clubs and events can find copies of the RRCA Conflict of Interest policy along with the Sarbanes-Oxley required Whistle Blower and Document Retention and Destruction policies on our website at www.rrca.org/resources/management. These items can be used as templates for policies to adopt for your club or event. All nonprofit organizations, even those receiving their status through the RRCA, should review their state requirements for filing as a charity in the state, especially if you are collecting contributions. Also, review the state requirements for conducting an independent audit. Many states require copies of audited statements be filed with the appropriate state entity for organizations with gross revenues over a certain level. Any nonprofit organization that receives money from a local, state or federal government entity should conduct an annual independent audit and make that audit available upon requests, as required by the IRS (www.IRS.gov). Raising money for charities As the running event community continues to grow, so will the local scrutiny of your event management practices. You and/or your board should ensure you are honestly promoting your relationships with charity partners. Have a clear understanding of the expectations with your charity partner(s). Some events find they get better treatment and support during the permitting process if they are partnered with a local charity. For some charities, partnering with a race is more about publicity than fundraising. For others, they may be depending on your event donations to fund operations. If the event is a first time event, clearly outline to your charity partner that first year events may simply break even so it should be viewed as a publicity event as opposed to a fundraising event. If the event is a fundraising event for a charity, be clear in your communications to participants how money will be collected and distributed to local charities. For example, if the event website or registration materials say all net proceeds go XYZ local charity, then 100% of your net proceeds should go to that charity after all expenses are paid. Expenses may include an allocation to a reserve fund for next year's race. You may elect to say a certain percentage of the net proceeds will go to a local charity. Be careful with this approach as your good intentions may fall flat if your event does not have any net profits to donate to your charity partner after all accounts are settled. You may decide that 100% of your registration fees cover the costs of putting on your event and provide for an optional donation to a local charity as part of the registration form. If this is the case, be sure this is clear in your marketing materials. If you decide to serve as a fiscal agent for a local charity, (directly collecting donations to be passed through to the charity) you will need to develop a procedure for transparent collecting and handling of these funds. The RRCA recommends, instead of serving as a fiscal agent, that you encourage people to give directly to the local charity by providing a link for online giving or instruct participants to mail checks directly to the charity. If donations for a charity partner are given to or collected by the event but earmarked for the charity partner, then at a minimum, you should create a separate account code in your accounting system for these contributions. These funds collected on behalf of a charity partner by the event should never be used to cover operating expenses for the event. Ensure 100% of the funds collected for the charity partner are donated directly to the charity partner. If you are collecting the contributions, your organization is responsible for acknowledging the contributions within the IRS guidelines (http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc506.html). All donors giving $250 and over must receive a “thank you� letter from your organization if you are serving as a fiscal agent for your charity partner. Continued on next page ! !
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TRANSPARENCY IN CHARITABLE RELATIONSHIPS The “For-Profit” Difference Jeff Darman, race director of the ACLI Capital Challenge (RRCA Event Member), points out that they have a unique model they follow for their charity partner. “The entry fee check is made out to the DC Special – Olympics, mailed to our office for race registration information, and we forward all of the checks to DC Special Olympics as part of our donation,” explained Darman. “That way when we say all entry proceeds go to charity, it is true. My company, which is a ‘for-profit’ entity, covers all of the race expenses from sponsor dollars.” If donation checks or online contributions for a charity partner are written to the event but earmarked for the charity partner, at a minimum, you should create a separate account code in your accounting system for these contributions. These funds collected on behalf of a charity partner by the event should never be used to cover operating expenses for the event. Ensure 100% of the funds collected for the charity partner are donated directly to the charity partner. If you are collecting the contributions, your organization is responsible for acknowledging the contributions within the IRS guidelines (http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc506.html). All donors giving $250 and over must receive a “thank you” letter from your organization if you are serving as a fiscal agent for your charity partner. Often times calls are received at the National Office where an individual wants to put on a race and donate all of the proceeds to charity; so they say they are a nonprofit. But this is not what defines them as a nonprofit. These events usually are for-profit/sole-proprietor events, and their gross receipts may be subject to income tax regardless if they donate all net proceeds to charity. If you are a for-profit race director, you should not include a contribution line for a local charity on your registration form with the contributions going directly to your forprofit race company. If “contributions” are paid to the race company, these “contributions” are not tax deductible by the donor and may be taxable income for the race director. Only a correctly organized nonprofit organization can accept tax-deductible contributions for charitable purposes. For-profit race companies should have donors contribute directly to a local charity or commit to donating a portion of their net proceeds to charity, but be clear in your communications how registration fees will be expensed and contributions given to charity partners. Some race directing companies have created “foundations” as charitable organizations. It is very important for these types of business structures to have a clear conflict of interest policy and operating procedures for the foundation. The foundation board of directors must ensure that the for-profit race directing company is not directly benefiting from the foundation in ways that are illegal or unethical. Continued on page 9
REMAING 2009 RRCA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS RRCA National Ultra Championship
RRCA National 5 K Championship
Tahoe Rim Trail 100 M Endurance Run Spooner Lake State Park, Carson City, NV www.sagebrushstompers.org/trt50
Woodstock 5K Anniston, AL www.annistonrunners.com/woodstock/
RRCA National Half Marathon Championship Parkersburg News & Sentinel Half Marathon Parkersburg, WV http://extras.newsandsentinel.com/halfmarathon/
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Find RRCA Champions’ Database, Bid On & Find RRCA Regional & State Championships at
www.rrca.org/programs/championships
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TRANSPARENCY IN CHARITABLE RELATIONSHIPS Maintaining Integrity in Charity Relationships North Carolina State Rep Mike Walsh outlined their local approach to working with charity partners. “As a club we divided the work with our charity partners so that the vast majority of the race planning and execution fell on the club side, and the vast majority of non-race items and sponsorship acquisition fell to the charity partner,” explained Walsh. “Generally the charities have development personnel that do that for a living, and that approach worked fairly well with some charity partners. There were a few different revenue share models, but typically our club would pre-negotiate a specific amount that would go to the club to fund our programs with the remainder going to the charity partner.” Some organizations have developed other models to support local charities such as making contributions to local organizations based on the number of volunteers recruited by the charity. Contributions are often given to these organizations based on their level of involvement with the race. Event directors should be clear with these charity partners that they are providing a contribution to their organization and not paying the organization to staff their event. Formal written letters of understanding or donor agreement letters can go a long way towards clarifying expectations for both parties. Raising money to cover administrative expenses is the hardest dollar to raise and should not be viewed in a negative light so long as the charity partner reports a program to administrative cost ratio between 70-80% program expenses to 30-20% administrative expenses (including fundraising and marketing activities). An administrative cost ratio exceeding 35% is considered excessive by charity watchdog groups. Events must work with charities to ensure that the money donated by the event or the event participants is going to a reputable organization. Events and participants can use tools such as www.guidestar.org to check on their charity partners from time to time. Ask to see the financial statements or tax returns from local charities before agreeing to work with them or raise money on their behalf. Review the program to administrative cost ratio on the IRS 990 form to determine whether your charity partner has an administrative cost ratio within the acceptable limits. Ask the charity how the funds you collect on their behalf will be spent. Will the money be spent on program work or administrative costs? Will your contribution from race proceeds or collected contributions from participants be a restricted gift from the race or will it be a general contribution to be used to cover administrative expenses? These are questions your board will need to address before money changes hands so all parties have clear expectations. If your event is donating a portion of your net profits to a local charity, it is appropriate to restrict the use of your contribution to a specific program as opposed to allowing the charity to use the funds for administration expenses. You simply need to include a letter of instruction with the contribution restricting the gift for a specific program. Now I come to the unsettling article in the San Diego Union-Tribune on May 15, 2009 about the San Diego Rock’n’Roll Marathon and the relationship between Elite Racing and the Elite Racing Foundation now owned by the Competitor Group. The article outlines that an “audit found that the foundation and the private business lacked a clear line of delineation, allowing funds to be transferred back and forth with poor bookkeeping and a lack of checks and balances…. Some nonprofit watchdogs said the scope of the problem is alarming.” The race director, an employee of the for-profit Elite Racing, was the Chair of the nonprofit Elite Racing Foundation, which is a clear conflict of interest considering money was changing hands between the two separate entities. Competitor Group has pledged to return $340,000 of public money improperly used from the foundation by the race management company. My reaction to the San Diego Union-Tribune article is that we should all be concerned about the governance and management of nonprofit events. This article is meant to serve as a call to action to all race directors and boards of trustees to be transparent in the governance of your nonprofit events in the ever-increasing profitable environment for events nationwide. Be transparent in your approach to working with charity partners and be transparent in your relationships between paid staff, independent contractors, and board members. Take time to review your practices and strengthen your organization through policies and procedures as needed. If you are concerned about questionable practices by events in your community, contact the RRCA to review your concerns, because impropriety in the management of our sport by some will create challenges for all. !
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DISABLED ATHLETES PANEL CONTINUED !
According to the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) website, there are about 35 million people living with a physical challenge in the United States. When you add in Americans with intellectual, mental and emotional disabilities, the numbers are astronomical. And yet, it is only recently that disabled athletes are coming into the mainstream consciousness. Leaders like Rehmet are breaking down walls for the disabled through their ongoing education efforts.! "As a special education teacher of students with physical disabilities, I've been advocating for inclusion of this population," Rehmet said. "The theme for our convention was 'Bridge to the Future', and I saw that we needed to create a bridge to other groups of runners such as those with disabilities." When I sat down and started thinking about the panel and what questions would inform the audience most, the first thing I realized was that I didn't know that many other disabled athletes. While there are many famous Americans with disabilities such as Helen Keller, Franklin Roosevelt, and Stevie Wonder, what about marathoners, triathletes, and water skiers.
He soon started swimming, which led to triathlons and marathons. He famously completed the New York City Marathon and the Hawaii Ironman. Then, in 1993, while racing in another triathlon, MacLaren was hit by a van that left him paralyzed. Slowly pulling himself through, MacLaren choose life and is now a much-in-demand motivational speaker. Additionally, the CAF grew out of a desire to help MacLaren. For anyone who has participated in an endurance sport like marathons or triathlons, you know that it's not easy. Training, staying motivated, toeing the start line, and crossing the finish line is a journey that involves an ongoing struggle against pain, boredom, balancing family/work responsibilities, and doubt. Now imagine doing it blind, with only one leg, with no feet, recovering from cancer, with Parkinson's disease, or in a wheelchair. Now imagine being in a crowd of 40,000 other athletes. Oh, and the race director and staff have no experience with special needs. Continued on next page
So many of my early images I have are from movies like "Coming Home" and "Born on the Fourth of July." Those images, though, are being replaced with scenes from "Murderball" about rugbyplaying quadriplegics and the yearly coverage of the Hawaii Ironman. One of our most famous disabled athletes is Jim MacLaren. In 1985, while driving his motorcycle, he was broadsided by a 40,000pound city bus. Rushed to Bellevue Hospital, he was initially diagnosed as "dead on arrival." After 18-hours of surgery, MacLaren was stabilized, but he was also
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Photo: Harry Cardellos, George Rehmet, Geoff Turner, Sean Simonson, and Simone Adair
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DISABLED ATHLETES PANEL CONTINUED Over the years, many trailblazers have highlighted the challenges facing disabled athletes. None are more famous than Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Founded in 1968, the Special Olympics serves nearly 200 million people with Intellectual Disabilities in 200 countries. Fortunately for disabled athletes, Congress also took a leading role and passed legislation that evened out the playing field and opened doors that benefited all ) Americans. If you have never read the text of the groundbreaking ! 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act, it's an amazing document, one that underlines our country's determination to protect and nurture all Americans: "The (U.S.) Congress finds that physical or mental disabilities in no way diminish a person’s right to fully participate in all aspects of society, yet many people with physical or mental disabilities have been precluded from doing so because of discrimination; others who have a record of a disability or are regarded as having a disability also have been subjected to discrimination... "...individuals with disabilities continually encounter various forms of discrimination, including outright intentional exclusion, the discriminatory effects of architectural, transportation, and communication barriers, overprotective rules and policies, failure to make modifications to existing facilities and practices, exclusionary qualification standards and criteria, segregation, and relegation to lesser services, programs, activities, benefits, jobs, or other opportunities...”!
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"Congress finds that in enacting the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), Congress intended that the Act provide a clear and comprehensive national mandate for the elimination of discrimination against individuals with disabilities and provide broad coverage; and that Congress recognized that physical and mental disabilities in no way diminish a person’s right to fully participate in all aspects of society, but that people with physical or mental disabilities are frequently precluded from doing so because of prejudice, antiquated attitudes, or the failure to remove societal and institutional barriers." Organizations such as the Challenged Athletes Foundation, Paralympic Sports Association, and International Paralympic Committee enable challenged athletes to achieve excellence. Continued on next page !
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DISABLED ATHLETES PANEL CONTINUED ! One of the most amazing organizations out there is the Achilles Track Club (ATC), of which I'm a member. Their mission is to "enable people with all types of disabilities to participate in mainstream athletics, promote personal achievement, enhance self esteem, and lower barriers."! The ATC also includes an offshoot group, the Achilles Freedom Team of Wounded Warriors. ATC Vice-President Mary Bryant, as the founder and director of the Achilles Freedom Team, regularly visits many military and Veterans Administration hospitals giving hope to young people coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan. In a recent video for Real American Stories, she described her experience, "These men and women may have lost a limb or two or three. For them to get to the start line, they look at what strengths they do have, not what's lost, not what's broken." She went on to voice their courage, their words, "I am alive... I want to show you how strong I am."
"Their American spirit is alive and well. It's contagious, and we all need more of that," she finished. And while attitudes toward disabilities are changing at home, these changes are also having farreaching effects. The Chinese government spent more than $100 million making Beijing accessible for the Olympic - Paralympic Games, according to Challenge magazine. In fact, the opening ceremonies for the 2008 Paralympic games included 750 dancers with hearing impairments. The front page of the China Daily News carried a photo of the U.S. vs. Israel wheelchair basketball game. Continued on next page ! Photo: Harry Cordellos and Geoff Turner at the RRCA Convention
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DISABLED ATHLETES PANEL CONCLUDED ! Back at the convention, Harry and I were eating our lunch while listening to the amazing, and slightly mad, Marshall Ulrich describe his completion of the Triple Crown of Extreme Sports, which included completing 120 ultra-marathons averaging over 100 miles each. While Ulrich was discussing his 3,063mile run across America, Harry leaned over and whispered, "I could have done that with my eyes closed." I knew then that it was going to be a great panel. Not long afterward, a tall, handsome runner sprinted in to the hall still sweating and in his running gear. Geoff Turner, my second panelist had arrived. Turner lost his right leg from the knee down in a traffic accident in 1991. He never skipped a beat always striving to be the best runner possible. For most of us, that would mean following a training and nutrition plan, doing our intervals and hill work, cross training, and keeping up with latest gear. For Turner, it meant broken prosthetics and the occasional broken bone. He finally obtained a dedicated Ossur running leg, and despite constant equipment failures that were ultimately resolved, completed Escape from Alcatraz and the San Francisco Triathlon representing the CAF. He has completed numerous races and holds the title of 2007 National Leg Amputee Championships in the Above Knee Male category. Turner describes himself in a way that most disabled athletes would proudly emulate, "I don't see myself as an amputee who runs, rather as a runner who happens to be an amputee." A week before the panel, Turner emailed me asking if he should bring his running leg. I emphatically answered yes. One of the first things we did during the panel was to show the audience his incredible running leg, and hopefully take the squirminess out of the equation. One of the most interesting events to happen recently in the disabled athlete arena is Oscar Pistorius' bid to participate in the 2008 Summer Olympics. The South African Paralympic champion runs on two Cheetah Flex-Foot carbon fiber transtibialartificial limbs by Ossur. At first ruled ineligible for the Games, the Court for Arbitration of Sport reversed that ruling. While Pistorius did not make the South African team, his efforts shined a bright light on challenged athletes.
Our final panelist was Sean Simonson. In 2006, Simonson went over the handlebars of his mountain bike and broke his neck leaving him a quadriplegic. Undeterred by his accident, Simonson entered his first race in a wheelchair five months later and won. Employed full-time with the Fire Department, he holds the fastest time as a Quad for the Silver Strand and the Surf City Half Marathons.! After introducing all the athletes, we showed a harrowing video of Cordellos running the Dipsea Trail race. I know that I was on the edge of my seat gasping at every turn, every hill. I could only imagine the effect on the audience. Harry led us through a typical race, which can hardly be described as typical, working with a guide. "It is ideal if our strides match. It is most efficient if we can run similar to a three-legged race, that is, the inside leg of each other is moving in rhythm in the same direction." He explained that this avoids bumping and banging each other with elbows or knees. Rehmet described the instance, "A couple of times, I have been his guide. It's a unique experience." I was amazed at the number of questions from audience members. Everyone seemed curious as to the athletesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; training, adaptive equipment, and also what changes could be made. I watched as club presidents and officers and race directors and staff members furiously took notes. I was as proud as Harry, Geoff, and Sean of the impact that I know we had on these attendees. Finally, we learned that each of these three men is filled with hopes and dreams for the future. One of Turner's goals for the panel was to educate race directors about the need to include categories beyond age and gender, so that he and other challenged athletes will be able to measure themselves against similarly situated runners from around the world. Simonson's goal this year is to complete a Half Ironman Triathlon and qualify for the USAT's USA Triathlon Team. He is also looking toward the 2012 London Paralympics. Cordello will be participating in his forty-second consecutive Bay to Breakers race. As for me, my hope is to one day be fast enough to keep up with these local heroes, and maybe inspire a few runners too. !
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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S NOTE
Dear RRCA Members, In March we celebrated the 51st Annual RRCA Convention where we presented the 2008 National Running Awards at our largest annual banquet in memory. It was a spectacular evening thanks in large part to the convention hosts, especially convention chair and the night’s MC, George Rehment, and our special guest, Frank Shorter. I extend a huge thank you to our 2009 hosts, our guest speakers, our sponsors, our expo vendors, our attendees, our award winners, and the RRCA Board of Directors for making it a successful convention for the running community. If you have not already done so, I recommend you read Mitch Garner’s convention blog posted in the RRCA News archives (click on the More News link on our homepage) if you are interested in learning more about the convention. We look forward to seeing everyone in 2010 in Lakeland, FL. My article in this issue of Inside Track certainly hits on a “buzz topic” in the running industry right now. In addition, many people ponder if running is a charity. The IRS has recognized the RRCA as a 501(c)3 nonprofit charity since 1976, the year we received our nonprofit group exemption, making all of our subordinate members (affiliated organizations) 501(c)3 charitable organizations as well. As a result of the RRCA’s efforts with the IRS in the mid-70’s, running clubs and events can also apply for 501(c)3 status directly with the IRS and be granted nonprofit charitable status. So yes, running is a charity, so long as it is organized as a nonprofit organization with a mission driven purpose. With that in mind, many people in the running community question why, as a collective, we are raising so much money for other charities with few of the donations being invested in running as a cause, as a solution to the inactivity and health crisis in the United States, and as a support network for our elite athletes competing on the world stage. These hypothetical numbers could and should be realized by the running community. If just $10 were donated to the Kids Run the Nation Fund by every event hosted by an RRCA member club, then the RRCA could grant $50,000 in Kids Run the Nation grants annually as opposed to the current $5,000. If each runner in an event hosted by an RRCA member donated $1 to running, we could raise over $2.5 million per year to be invested in youth running, elite athlete development, running club infrastructure, and more. So I encourage leaders in the running community to promote running as a charity and encourage everyone in the running community to make running one of their charities of choice. Happy Running,
The RRCA has several different program funds where donations may be restricted for program use. Contributions may be given to: the Kids Run the Nation Fund, the Roads Scholar Fund, and the State Reps Fund. No portion of the contributions given to these funds is used to cover administrative expenses. Contributions to the Grassroots Supporters Fund are general contributions that are used to cover general program expenses such as awards for RRCA Championships.
THANK YOU TO OUR 2009 RRCA CONVENTION SPONSORS !
GOLD LEVEL
*Running Network* *Big Sur Marathon* *K-Swiss* *Marathon & Beyond* *Windshirts.com* *Leslie Jordan* *Lakeland Runners Club* *Central Florida’s Polk County Sports Marketing* SILVER LEVEL Clif Bar San Francisco Marathon Ultra Running Magazine Presidio 10K/10 MI Napa Valley Marathon Youth Runner Magazine ING Bay to Breakers Heatsheets !
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BRONZE LEVEL Ipico Sports Active.com Power Cranks Destination Races Image One Hyatt Insight Resource Group Rock’n’Roll Half Marathon San Jose
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ROAD RUNNERS CLUB OF AMERICA 1501 Lee Hwy, Ste 140 Arlington, VA 22209 703-525-3890 www.RRCA.org
WE RUN THE NATION! On September 18, 2009, the Road Runners Club of America will promote the 4th Annual National Run@Work Day®. The purpose of National Run@Work Day is to promote physical activity and healthy living through running or walking. Running clubs, events, company-based wellness programs, human resources departments, and individuals nationwide are encouraged to plan fun runs and/or walks with their employers throughout the United States. Or, simply get out with a friend, coworker, or family member for a 35-minute run or walk.
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Make a Positive Impact on National Run@Work Day • Plan an event with local companies, your running club or your event • Hang Run@Work Day posters around the office or around town to promote your event. Get your FREE copy of the promotional poster, send a self addressed, postage paid ($0.65), 9x12 sized envelop to 1501 Lee Hwy, Ste 140, Arlington, VA, 22209. Order multiple FREE copies of Run@Work Day posters at: http://store02.prostores.com/servlet/rrca/StoreFront • Sign the FREE pledge to run hosted by Active.com at www.RRCA.org/programs/runatwork • Download Run@Work ads like the one to the left from www.RRCA.org/services/branding and put them in your local publications.